Donohoe accused of disrespecting the Dáil as he fails to quell declaration controversy

Ged Nash says value of postering was nearer €5k than €1,100 while Pearse Doherty says minister's story 'stretches credibility'

Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Paschal Donohoe was under fire in the Dáil as controversy rumbles on about a failure to declare the details of his 2016 election expenditure. File picture: Damien Storan/PA

Embattled Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe has been accused of disrespecting the Dáil after failing to quell the controversy around a failure to declare election expenditure.

Mr Donohoe provided a statement to the Dáil last night in a bid to explain how he did not declare that six people were paid to put up posters on his behalf during the 2016 general election campaign. A company van was also used in the work.

Mr Donohoe said he “sincerely regrets” the controversy, but added that he was not aware that the individuals had been paid at the time.

He praised Michael Stone, the chief executive of the engineering firm Designer Group, who paid the workers to put up the posters, describing him as “a man of the very highest standards and has spent much of his life giving back to the community from which he came”.

Ged Nash told the Dáil postering in 2016 cost '€5 per poster, €3 up, €2 down' and that this suggests the declared value ought to have been 'closer to €5,000': File picture: Colin Keegan/Collins

Members of the opposition rounded on the minister, claiming he had “concocted stories” to make the controversy go away. They also hit out at him for failing to answer the many questions put to him on the matter.

Both Sinn Féin and the Labour Party queried how Mr Donohoe had calculated the value of the work carried out putting up and taking down posters on four dates at €1,100.

Labour’s Ged Nash said the minister was simply “selling a narrative” that suits his own ends.

“We know that the usual price charged for erecting and removing election posters in 2016 was €5 per poster, €3 up, €2 down. 

If 1,000 posters were involved, then the commercial value is closer to €5,000.

The Louth TD said the law and the guidelines are explicit in relation to this and, where the price charged for a service is less than the usual commercial price, then the difference between the usual commercial price and the lower price is a political donation. 

Mr Nash added: “Whether provided by an individual or by a company, the true value of this service seems to be way in excess of the donation limits.”

Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty asked four times whether Mr Stone had paid to put up posters for the Fine Gael TD during the 2020 general election. However, this question and many others posed by the opposition were not addressed by the minister.

Instead, Mr Donohoe said he would not be speaking publicly on the matter again and would be liaising with the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo), the body that received the initial complaint.

Mr Doherty said his party will continue to seek answers on the matter, claiming that Mr Donohoe’s story “stretches credibility” and “doesn’t stack up”.

Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty said Mr Donohoe has 'taken a tactic to completely disrespect the Dáil to decide not to answer a single question at all'. File picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

“I think it’s clear that Paschal understands the more he says, the more questions he answers, the more the story that he has created will fall apart,” the Donegal TD said. 

“He’s taken a tactic to completely disrespect the Dáil to decide not to answer a single question at all. These are very serious questions and that the minister is refusing to answer.”

Mr Nash called on the minister to publish his amended declaration.

He said the minister “understands” that he is responsible and accountable to the Dáil and not just Sipo and should be “mindful” of this.

Addressing the Dáil, Mr Donohoe also revealed that he sold €1,716 worth of Fine Gael super draw ticket to businessman Mr Stone who provided assistance in putting up the election posters.

“Mr Stone has made no donations to me personally,” said Mr Donohoe. “However, in 2020 and 2021, Mr Stone made a donation to Fine Gael by the purchase of super draw tickets, which were sold by me.”

He said that, in 2020, five tickets with a donation value of €334 were sold to Mr Stone, and in 2021, 22 tickets with a donation value of €1,382 were bought.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar strongly defended Mr Donohoe earlier in the day, describing him as “a man of integrity”.